Letter to the Editor: Delco needs to see bigger picture for DCTS in Aston

We believe it’s time to set the record straight regarding expansion of the Delaware County Technical School Aston campus. Misconceptions voiced by residents and printed in this newspaper have created an unnecessary firestorm.

This project is to serve students, especially those who need it most, while saving taxpayer dollars. The project’s origin was not derived from saving the DCIU money, as stated in your paper, but to provide better programming facilities to Delaware County students at no addition cost to county taxpayers. As a community, we need to support our students. As a tax-supported organization, we need to spend money wisely. This project accomplishes both.

I would like to address briefly issues raised by some of our neighbors:

1. Transparency and timelines. All of our decisions have been made in public and the Delco Times first reported on the project in August 2013. We have held at least two public meetings a month during this time and properly submitted our plans to the Aston Township, followed by a meeting with Aston Township residents.

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Subsequently, we paused the approval process to assess the concerns raised by residents of the adjacent neighborhoods. This process for public meetings and public comment is working. There has been no attempt to bypass public scrutiny.

2. Property values. Where is the evidence that expanding and beatifying a school will decrease property values? This school has been there for 36 years, long before many of the houses and housing developments. No one has presented any evidence to show that property values will decrease and there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.

3. Safety. Where is the evidence the project will create security problems for the neighbors?

In nearly 40 years of serving students with some of the greatest educational challenges in the county, we have not had an incident where a neighboring property or persons was damaged or injured by one of our students. We understand fear of the unknown, but this is baseless fear of the known.

We also plan to provide early childhood programs that will be located in a secure environment on the opposite end of the campus with separate entrances and restricted access. We are working to revamp our curriculum and programming for our career and technology education programs, which have been ranked as one of the best in the state of Pennsylvania for the past three years.

The renovations to the existing building will bring a 1968 building into the 21st century and provide these students with a learning environment and curriculum that prepares them for college and careers.

Neighborhood concerns: We are listening to the concerns of area residents and we will continue to assess the validity of those concerns. When we finalize our plans, we will comply with whatever notice procedures Aston Township requires.

We want to continue to be a good neighbor, we want to strengthen our relationship with the neighbors, and we will strive to gain the support of the greater Aston Township community. We hope the neighbors will be proud of the fact that they live in the same neighborhood as one of the best career and technical schools in the state of Pennsylvania.

We hope the neighbors will be willing to join us in hosting our students and support our efforts to help them. And we hope the neighbors will see the larger picture of how expanding this facility saves tax dollars for them and everyone in Delaware County.

Student Concerns: Some residents made insensitive, hurtful remarks about our students and we were taken aback. Even more sadly, these residents received several “kudos” in the Daily Times while DCIU received darts. The expansion of an existing school building is not the usual subject of a “not in my backyard (NIMBY)” protest. To be clear, this project is first and foremost for the children of Delaware County.

As a community, we need to support our students. We need to provide special services to our students who face significant challenges so they can become productive citizens. These are students, not criminals. They have parents, grandparents, siblings and friends who love them. They may learn a little differently or need additional support in school, just like our kids in the autism support program, or the young students in the early intervention program.

They deserve to be educated in an environment where they feel comfortable, safe and happy. Why shouldn’t they have a nice school, like Northley Middle School, which is being renovated, or Coeburn Elementary, which is being rebuilt?

We’re not building a trash plant, or a prison, or even a group home. This is a school for Delaware County children and we should all support it.